Support your argument with recent Australian data and at least one sociological concept or theory.

Scope:

The essay should include:

1. An overview of credible epidemiological data relating to the issue and relevant population groups, and
2. In depth discussion of sociology and how specific theories and concepts can be applied and used to better understand the patterns and experiences of the

The following points provide the scope for what you need to cover:

• Brief history of the health issue (eg, is it a recent phenomenon, how has the issue changed or become more prominent in recent times?).
• Global, Australian and local epidemiological data from credible sources on the issue and relevant population groups (eg, how do figures vary country by country, state by state, between LGAs, and in comparison between population groups).
• Describe relevant sociological theories or concepts in depth, and apply these ideas to the health issue to demonstrate how we can better understand this in a sociological Discuss how they help to explain and understand the health issue or differential.
• Use academic sources to support your arguments throughout the
• See the ‘tips for essay preparation’ for more detailed information about how to approach the

Structure and Referencing:

• Use APA referencing with thorough in text citations and reference
• Use a minimum of 10 appropriate academic and epidemiological
• Provide evidence to support all of the statements made in the Do not make any claims without appropriate referencing. If you are unsure about this then consult the Referencing guidelines on the Student Learning Centre FLO site, and also go through the Academic Integrity for Students topic on FLO – ACINT001.
• Word file (.doc or .docx). Clearly labelled with:
  • topic number and title, o student name and ID, o tutor name,
  • assignment title
• Minimum of 5 line spacing throughout
• Include page numbers
• Minimum 10pt font Arial or 12pt Times New Roman, no italics

Your essay should use the following structure: See also the Essay Assignment Planner, available on FLO for you to use as a more detailed planning tool.

Essay Outline:

Title

Introduction (approximately 200wds)

Overview of credible epidemiological data (approximately 500wds)

In-depth discussion of

sociology (approximately 1600wds) Conclusion (approximately 200wds)

All words in these 3 sections are counted in the word count, including in text citations but not the reference list

2500 wds +/-10%

Reference list (minimum of 10 references, see list of appropriate sources)

This assessment item relates to the following Learning Outcomes:

LO1       Critical social analysis of statistics on health in Australia through the application of sociological theories and concepts

LO2      A questioning and ‘transformative’ approach to health issues

LO3       Sourcing and presenting high quality statistical data on a particular health issue in Australia

LO4       Identifying population patterns and inequalities evident in health statistics, especially in relation to vulnerable groups

LO5       Understanding of the relationship between individuals and society, and the impact of power relations on health

LO7       Communication and justification of the value of critical social analysis of health to a practice-based audience

Tips for Essay preparation

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Health Observatory (GHO)

http://www.who.int/gho/en/

It is always important to explain the global context of the issue you are looking at. What are the international patterns in relation to the issue? How do these compare to Australia? A good starting point for global health data is the WHO.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

http://www.abs.gov.au/

The main source of Australian health statistics is the Australian Bureau of Statistics. You could start by searching the results of their Australian Health Survey, and look at the information on the Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA).

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)

http://www.aihw.gov.au/

The AIHW is a major national agency set up by the Australian Government under

the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act to provide reliable, regular and relevant information and statistics on Australia’s health and welfare.

Public Health Information Development Unit (PHIDU)

http://www.publichealth.gov.au/phidu//

Social Health Atlases providing lots of charts, data and reports are available here from the PHIDU. Led by Director John Glover.

• History of the health issue (eg, is it a recent phenomenon, how has the issue changed or become more prominent in recent times?)
• Global data on the health issue (eg, how do figures vary worldwide, between different countries/continents/developing/Westernised countries)
• Australian data on the health issue
• Local data on the health issue (eg, how do figures vary state by state, and between LGAs, or between rural/urban areas)
• What are the inequalities evident in the statistics you have found?
• How do the statistics you have found show that the population group in the research question (men living in rural/remote Australia OR the Australian ageing population) experience health inequity in relation to the issue?
• You can use graphs and tables in this section but use them judiciously (we do not want pages and pages of graphs) and they must be explained and discussed in-text.

• Familiarise yourself with the key sociologists and what their theories

• Make sure you have the spelling of theorist names and concepts correct!
• Find out whether the concepts have already been used by others to explain the health issue chosen, and what conclusions were drawn.
• What have sociologists said about the health issue and population group already?
• Depending on the concept and health issue, others might have written about this over long periods of time, or in diverse global It is important to include these as you can then compare how the relevance of the concept in the current Australian context might be similar or different.
• Also, find examples of other health issues and social determinants that have been explained using the sociological
• Use credible sources – these should include the textbook, all relevant readings from the topic Reading Schedule, and additional sources that you have searched for and found These could include (but are not limited to):

Other sociological textbooks:

Collyer, F. (2015) The Palgrave Handbook of Social Theory in Health, Illness and Medicine, Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Germov, J. (2014) Second opinion: an introduction to health sociology, 5th edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Vic.

Gray, D. (2006) Health Sociology: An Australian Perspective, Pearson Education Australia, Sydney.

Giddens, A. & Sutton, P. (2014) Essential Concepts in Sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press. Giddens, A. & Sutton, P. (2013) Sociology. 7th Edition. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Grbich, C. (2004) Health in Australia: sociological concepts and issues, 3rd ed., Pearson Longman, Sydney, NSW.

Nettleton, S. (2013) The Sociology of Health and Illness. 3rd Edition. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Schofield T. (2015) A Sociological Approach to Health Determinants, Port Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

White, K. (2006) An Introduction to the Sociology of Health and Illness 2nd Edition London: Sage Publications.

Willis, K, & Elmer, S. (2007) Society, Culture and Health: an introduction for Nurses, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

Articles in sociological or health related peer reviewed journals:

American Sociological Review

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Sociology Australian Journal of Social Issues

Australian Journal of Public Health Critical Public Health

British Journal of Sociology Health Sociology Review

International Journal of Health Promotion International Review of Health Services Qualitative Health Research

Social Science and Medicine Sociology of Health and Illness

Appropriate sources do NOT include:

Lectures, lecture notes/slides Wikipedia

Websites YouTube

Newspaper articles

Health promotion material

• General definition and overview of the ‘sociological imagination’.
• Explain why sociology is useful in helping us to challenge the dominance of biomedicine and understand health and health care as shaped by biopsychosocial
• Synopsis of the epidemiological data found relating specifically to the health issue and relevant population groups in This should explain clearly how the health issue impacts significantly on the relevant groups.
• Review any existing sociological literature explaining the issue/population groups
• Detailed discussion of the relevant sociological concepts;
  • Introduce the reader to the relevant theorist (or theorists)
  • Give a detailed history and definition of the concepts
  • Explain how the concepts are useful in relation to health issue or differential (provide examples of how it has been used by others)
• Application of the concept(s) to the chosen issue and population groups;
  • Make clear links between the concept(s) and the data found
  • Explain what power relations underpin the experiences of the health issue for the specific
  • Make reference to the structure-agency debate, using the chosen sociological concept(s) to explain the structural factors that constrain individuals’ abilities to control or determine health
• Provide a logical argument for the value of using sociology and the specific concept in order to understand individual experiences of health
• Mention briefly any other relevant concepts and theorists that could be used as alternative or complementary ways of framing the issue
• Briefly discuss the implications for health care practice and the importance of health care professionals to consider the social factors that shape

• Submit your draft assignment to Draft TurnItIn box and then review report (do this 24 hours before submission to allow time to make amendments).
• Thoroughly proof read the assignment from start to Then get someone else to proof read it for you too. This helps pick up spelling and grammar errors and to check for general readability.
• Make any changes necessary before submitting final